Comparison

PRY vs Action Codenames

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PRY

Experience a unique narrative journey by delving into a character's fragmented memories and thoughts. This interactive story unfolds through a blend of visual and textual elements, exploring the psychological impact of war.

Highlights
  • Explore fragmented memories
  • Interactive narrative experience
  • Character's thoughts and vision
  • Visual and textual storytelling
  • Psychological exploration
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Pry is a book to watch and film to touch: a story revealed by opening a character’s eyes, pulling apart his memories and grasping his infinitely scrolling thoughts. Six years ago, James–a demolition expert–returned from the First Gulf War. Explore James’ mind as his vision fails and his past collides with his present. prynovella.com ====== "Everyone interested in the contemporary state or future of literature as a hybrid tactile mediated experience should experience Pry." — Los Angeles Review of Books "The narrative is fragmented, the visuals atmospheric: Charlie Kaufman by way of an acid trip." — LA Weekly ====== **Future of Storytelling Prize** **2015 Independent Games Festival Finalist for Excellence in Narrative** **IndieCade 2015 Digital Selection** **New York Film Festival: Convergence Official Selection** **Slamdance Digital, Interactive and Gaming Official Selection** **19th Japan Media Arts Festival Jury Selection** **Winner of the Robert Coover Award** **Winner New Media Writing Prize** **FWA Mobile Award** ====== PRY runs on iPad 2 and newer, iPhone 4s and newer, and iPod Touch 5th Gen. Small text optimized for iPhone 5 and above. **Epilepsy Warning: project contains moments of flashing text and strobing imagery. Reduced flashing mode available in PRY settings.**

About

Action Codenames

A fast-paced, team-based word association game for parties and gatherings. Players give and guess clues based on a 5x5 grid of words, aiming to identify their team's secret words before the opposing team or hitting a losing card. Offers offline play and multiple languages.

Highlights
  • Team-based word association gameplay
  • 5x5 grid of secret words
  • Spymaster clue-giving mechanic
  • Offline play support
  • Multilingual options
  • Built-in rules and strategy tips
Features
Read full description

Codenames is a fast, team‑based word association game built for parties, family nights, study breaks, and quick office fun. Two teams—Red and Blue—race to find all of their secret words on a 5×5 grid of 25 cards. The twist: touch the black card and you lose instantly. Each round has two roles. The Spymaster sees the entire key and gives exactly one clue: a single word plus a number. Operatives discuss and guess based on that clue. With “Animal 2”, you may guess up to three times (number + 1). Picking your color lets you continue; choosing an opponent or neutral card ends your turn; hitting the black card ends the game on the spot. Red needs 9 words; Blue needs 8. A clean, modern interface keeps everyone focused: a clear current‑turn indicator, crisp card layout, smooth animations, score cards with progress bars, and handy one‑tap controls (New Game, End Turn, View Team). The dedicated Team view lists your team’s words—revealed and remaining—so you can decide whether to press your luck or bank the lead. If the game ends, a friendly Game Over screen summarizes the result and lets you restart immediately. Built‑in rules cover the objective, setup (9/8/7/1 split), roles, “clue + number” format, restrictions, and examples. Practical tips and an advanced strategy section help Spymasters craft multi‑card clues (categories, hypernyms, shared context) and help Operatives debate links, avoid traps, and converge on the safest picks. Robust local word libraries power high replayability: fruits, vehicles, school supplies, animals, weather and nature, places and buildings, family, sports, seasons and nature, food and drinks, colors, occupations, electronics, clothing, toys and games, gems and minerals, and more. Every new game shuffles a fresh 25‑word grid with the asymmetric distribution that keeps tension high and choices meaningful. Multilingual and classroom‑friendly: English, German, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean. Switch languages instantly; the grid regenerates on the spot. Fully playable offline—no sign‑up or connection required—so you can play anywhere. Why you’ll love it: Quick to teach, deep to master; perfect for mixed groups Laughs, tension, and real “aha!” moments in minutes Fast turns and near‑infinite replay value Thoughtful design that prioritizes readability Start a new game in seconds, give your first clue, and watch the table come alive. This digital adaptation pays homage to the classic party word game by Czech designer Vlaada Chvátil—faithful to team spirit and clever associations.

Screenshots

PRY4 screens
Action Codenames3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PRY at 76% against Action Codenames's 0%. PRY also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (34 vs 1). Action Codenames's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Action Codenames is free to download; PRY costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PRY holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PRY has 34 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of PRY's written reviews are positive against 0% of Action Codenames's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PRY ships an update every 6 weeks, Action Codenames every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
PRY versus Action Codenames: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPRYAction Codenames
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (34 ratings) — better3.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews76.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#85 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS6.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size970 MB3 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperTender Claws LLC梦成 李

Customer experience

PRY

All ratings33 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral4.2%
Negative19.7%

Action Codenames

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PRY

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes repeatedly
  • Videos loop at the end
  • App doesn't always pick up where it left off
  • Sound issues (no sound)

Requested features

4 requests
  • More content/chapters
  • Clearer narrative progression
  • Fix looping videos
  • Explanation for red diamond collection

Action Codenames

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PRY

No in-app purchases

None

Action Codenames

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PRY free?
PRY costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Action Codenames free?
Action Codenames is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PRY or Action Codenames?
PRY is rated higher. PRY averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Action Codenames averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PRY or Action Codenames have ads?
Neither PRY nor Action Codenames shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PRY or Action Codenames?
PRY ships an update every 6 weeks, and Action Codenames every 3 weeks. Most recently, PRY was updated on November 6, 2026 and Action Codenames on November 5, 2026.

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